On our last day in Rutland we split up so Cathy and I could walk around Rutland Waters and Peter and John could go to the Duxford Imperial War Museum to examine a history of aircraft especially those flown in WWI and WWII.
Sunken Church
Airplane photos compliments of Peter.
What a send off by Richard and Belinda as we leave Rutland and head for Cornwall. Screaming around countryside curves left Peter breathless as he and Richard arrived at Oakham station.
Our time with the English Drabbles was beyond excellent. We were treated to Red-seal Chef caliber meals, sumptuous accommodation, scintillating conversation, and tour guiding par excellence. Thank you Belinda and Richard.
People packed like sardines in our train to Birmingham leave us sweaty, leg weary and confused as to how one would exercise the right to claim your assigned seat without a heavily tattooed, muscular body guard. We change trains in Birmingham to arrive in Exeter in a much better mood as the train was not packed and very pleasant. We spend the night at a hotel and head out this morning to rent a car and begin the final leg of our journey into family history. We walk past the River Exe with it’s swans, rowers and colorful kayaks.
It turns out that it is absolutely necessary to rent a BMW in order to have a GPS. If you don’t believe me I can’t help that!! The GPS lady gives us directions that lead us onto increasingly narrower roads that eventually end up in Bude, Cornwall. This town holds a great deal of family history as the seat of many stories from Cathy’s grandmother. We can’t help but celebrate our entry into Cornwall with a taste of the famous Cornwall clotted cream and scones.
It’s hard to describe the palpable energy permeating the walls of the BMW as we turned a corner and saw the building that features in family photos from 1885. Mimi’s mother and family were the owners of the Broomhill Manor and she spent many happy hours here as a child. We were delighted that the present owners allowed us to tour the original house and discuss the history of the rooms. You might be able to see some similarities in the pictures that follow, some obviously from 1885 and others from today’s photo shoot.
In order to preserve the sanity of those not interested in the whole family history of Broomhill I will put pictures of the rooms where we are staying in the Manor house apartments and the surrounding grounds in an album. You can see a slide show in larger format if you click on one of the pictures.
